World Cup: The top 10 matches of Brazil 2014

updated 6:43 AM EDT, Tue July 15, 2014

Brazil's stand-in captain David Luiz was left in tears after his side was thrashed 7-1 in the semifinal by Germany. Brazil, hoping to win the tournament for a sixth time, trailed 5-0 at halftime. Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said it was the worst day of his life.

It was the goal which sparked the World Cup into life. Robin van Persie's flying header helped the Netherlands to come from behind and thrash defending champion Spain 5-1.

Tim Cahill's sensational volley against the Netherlands was one of the goals of the tournament. The Socceroos led 2-1 before the Dutch hit back to claim a dramatic 3-2 victory.

James Rodriguez was the star of the World Cup but not even his superhero efforts could propel Colombia past Brazil and into the semifinals. Rodriguez netted a penalty -- his sixth goal of the tournament -- to reduce the deficit to 2-1 but was unable to muster an equalizer.

Tim Howard established himself as a U.S. hero with his performance in the 2-1 defeat by Belgium. Team USA produced a fine display to come from 2-0 down and almost take the game to penalties. Howard made a record 16 saves as the U.S bowed out at the round of 16.

Julio Cesar was the hero for Brazil in its round of 16 game with Chile as he saved two penalties in the shootout, with the sides finishing level at 1-1 after 120 minutes.

The U.S won its opening match against Ghana following a titanic tussle against the team which ended its dream in 2010. Clint Dempsey's early strike was canceled out by Andre Ayew's 82nd-minute equalizer. But with four minutes remaining, substitute John Brooks headed home the winning goal.

Costa Rica's 3-1 win over Uruguay was one of the tournament's biggest shocks. The minnow, given no chance of qualifying from its group, trounced a team which had finished fourth in 2010. Led by Bryan Ruiz, "Los Ticos" reached the quarterfinals before losing on penalties against the Netherlands.

Lionel Messi scored twice during Argentina's 3-2 victory over Nigeria. The Barcelona forward was in unstoppable form but Nigeria refused to yield with Ahmed Musa hitting a double of his own. The five-goal thriller ended with both teams progressing into the last 16.

Asamoah Gyan of Ghana scores his team's second goal past Manuel Neuer, but Germany battled back to earn a 2-2 draw.

HIDE CAPTION

Humiliation of the host nation

Flying Dutchman

Cahill's corker

Rodriguez rattled

Howard's heroics

Hail Cesart

All-action America

Costa Rica's rampage

Messi magic

World Cup: The top 10 matches

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The 2014 World Cup consisted of 64 games

Brazil's 7-1 thrashing by Germany the highlight

Spain's 5-1 drubbing by Spain one to remember

Tim Howard's performance for Team USA a standout

(CNN) -- So that's it for another four years.

After 64 games, a record-equaling 171 goals and a month of drama, tension and entertainment, the World Cup is over.

It has been a thrilling ride, from Neymar inspiring Brazil to victory over Croatia in the opening game, the Netherlands smashing Spain, Costa Rica shocking the world on the way to the quarterfinals and Germany and Argentina providing the final chapter in an unforgettable episode.

We've put our heads together here at CNN to come up with our top-10 matches from the tournament -- but do you agree?

It was the game everybody was looking forward to -- and ended up being a game nobody will ever forget, especially if you happen to be Spanish.

The defending champion arrived in Brazil with doubts over its ability to repeat its success of four years ago -- but nobody expected Spain to implode like it did.

It had all started so well. Xabi Alonso fired home a penalty to give Spain the lead and David Silva came close to adding a second only for Jasper Cillessen to make a fine save in the Dutch goal.

But just before the break it all began to go wrong.

Netherlands forward Robin van Persie scores against Spain.

There appeared little danger when Daley Blind took up possession on the left but his fine cross picked out Robin van Persie, who leaped like a flying salmon to head the ball over the stranded Iker Casillas and into the empty net.

It was a magnificent header, a goal worthy of winning any game, let alone an equalizer.

What followed was astonishing, as the Dutch blew their opponents away in one of the most one-sided halves of football the World Cup has ever seen.

Arjen Robben, who missed a golden chance to put the Netherlands ahead in the 2010 final, fired home a second before Stefan de Vrij made it 3-1.

Casillas then failed to control a backpass and van Persie took advantage to fire home his second.

There was still time for Robben to add a fifth as Spain's defense was left decimated -- and the dominant force in world football of recent times was on the road to an embarrassing group-stage exit from the tournament.

Belgium entered the tournament as one of the "dark horses" but its performances did little to inspire any confidence it would challenge for the title.

Having reached the last 16 with victories by one-goal margins over Algeria, Russia and South Korea, Belgium faced a U.S. side buoyant after progressing from a difficult group.

Jurgen Klinsmann's men had been unfortunate to lose 1-0 to Germany and earlier produced two fine performances to defeat Ghana and draw with Portugal -- a result which ultimately denied Cristiano Ronaldo any further chance to stake his claim as the world's best player.

And in Salvador it once again gave a performance to remember, with goalkeeper Tim Howard the hero.

But the African champion refused to buckle and, within two minutes of the restart, Musa curled home a stunning effort to level again and become the first player from his country to score more than once in a World Cup match.

Nigeria, which had lost each of its three previous World Cup fixtures against Argentina, showed little sign of fear as it went chasing all three points.

But just three minutes after it had pulled level, poor defending allowed Marcos Rojo time and space to bundle home a winner.

However, Stephen Keshi's team still went through as group runner-up, reaching the last 16 for the first time since 1998.

So impressed with Messi was the Nigeria coach that he commented that the forward was from a different planet -- Jupiter.